#eurupetrip

Did the thing — thanks to my instructors, mentors, and friends for all of the help! A SPECIAL thanks to my dad who flew all the way from the great state of Tennessee to see me graduate from anti-surface/anti-submarine warfare tactics instructor school! It was a great 4 months in San Diego... ready for a few weeks of R&R in Europe with @writtenpaige before FINALLY returning home to Japan with my husband. Shore tour has been an interesting start, to say the least! #wti #usnavy #swolife #euRUPEtrip (at Admiral Kidd Catering And Conference Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1jiU2ABXqdK_O-5s-UWf1gSuJyTy9ZA-fCSck0/?igshid=dmc7vyxpyeg

Our last day in Rome | We started the day on a guided tour of Vatican City, which included the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St Peter’s Basilica. We were so exhausted after that we picked up a pizza lunch to go and ate at Airbnb, and then took a 2 hour nap. Upon waking up from our nap, we headed towards the Castle of the Holy Angel and did a night tour of the papal apartments from the 1500s — so much decadence! We stopped into an alleyway and had a late “last supper”. Today we are on our way back home — myself to Tokyo, and Paige to Barcelona for a few nights until heading back to the states. It’s been an incredible time, but I’m super excited to get home and see my wonderful husband, whom I haven’t seen shot 3 months! #euRUPEtrip #vaticancity (at Vaticano, Roma) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2JJYEsBfddyAK0ol4fHqpCS5dycBvLLGbvUew0/?igshid=1bonmib2ax4y1

Day trip to Mt Vesuvius and Pompeii | we started the day at Piazza del Popolo, in the northern part of Rome, with a packed breakfast of chicken and waffles. We then boarded our bus and made our way south to Mt Vesuvius. We only had one hour and 20 minutes to summit the crater, but we both made it up (SO PROUD OF @writtenpaige)! I told her many volcano facts on the way up to keep her mind off the climb. Once we completed the hike, we boarded the bus for an authentic Napoli pizza lunch. Following lunch, we made our way to Pompeii, where we followed the tour guide through the ruins. Some notable parts - an ancient ‘Happy House’ for sailors, several phallic symbols (a symbol for life and virility!), and original frescoes and artifacts of the time period. The day was over 12 hours and jam packed, but it was a fun excursion and well worth the price! The only downside was that we experienced a super rude couple who jammed their seats back into us, so we had to move bus seats to keep the peace - vacationers gonna vacation 🤷🏼‍♀️ #euRUPEtrip #pompeii #mtvesuvius #volcanoes (at Vesuvio Cratere) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2Hc4xbBvkxttv0rOUo9W5bB6s1nutlaWNhngo0/?igshid=vyhxfl4a1zrz

Ancient Rome Day! Our first full day of sight-seeing in Rome — we started our day at the Colosseum. We went during the HOTTEST part of the day, which was not super great planning in retrospect — turns out you have to go to a separate line to get a reservation, only to wait in another line for security — so we waited in one more line than we should have — we kept@our spirits up, though, and came prepared with water and patience. Then we had a languorous lunch at La Taverna Italia. Following lunch, Paige and I went to the Pantheon and marveled at the sheer size of the dome and reflected on seeing one of the Wonders of the World. Before heading back home, we walked by the ancient ruins of the Roman Forum and enjoyed watching the sunset there. #euRUPEtrip #ancientrome #rome #colosseum #pantheon #romanforum (at Colosseo, Roma, Italia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2EBz0SBRGA_WtR2GJqxxyAo0dOX7goaTi57jY0/?igshid=1q2lqbb5u8ihp

First breakfast in Italy 🇮🇹 Paige went to a market around the corner and we made breakfast ourselves and enjoyed some slow and easy company together. Our Airbnb is GORGEOUS and we barely want to leave it! #euRUPEtrip #rome #italy https://www.instagram.com/p/B1_NkhtBUCLP52hJ5-H-ldfE3Ij7E6R9ZlCiw00/?igshid=y5x63hkqgttk

euRUPEtrip day 1 — 14 hours in Barcelona. Pics of the view from our Airbnb, La Sagrada Familia, La Casa Batlló, and time spent catching up at a sidewalk cafe. We met this cute shiba inu dog and struck up a fun Spanish conversation with the owner. Everyone was surprised by our Spanish skills and I found myself remembering much more than I realized. Now, onto Vienna for a few days with @chor.delia and @yozhik_92! #euRUPEtrip #barcelona (at Sagrada Familia (metropolitana di Barcellona)) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1u-gXfBAXvneRPkWrBoAtmUJqHmnuvrAxXpmo0/?igshid=16n2x6pz28pgu

What a lovely beginning to my leave... seeing some of my favorite people in the entire universe on the journey to Europe with my TWIN. Thank you so much to @lilyliseno for hosting us and cooking us and having a mini reunion in your living room. Already such sweet memories to hold onto. #euRUPEtrip #orlandotwinclub #twins (at Orlando, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1rOw1fhkeXKNeugWKlH7uI9ceDClWhw6R98L80/?igshid=12id4ad1asg04

Planning our trip to Barcelona, Vienna, and Rome when I (hopefully) graduate from WTI school. The long-awaited Europe trip with my twin sister @writtenpaige is FINALLY happening! Currently taking recommendations... 2 months to go!! #europetrip2019 #euRUPEtrip https://www.instagram.com/p/BzbS1-Kh__QdM8C4t-JZDz75uoTeev5x1_mJrs0/?igshid=1vw88phokpybf